Moonwhile – Keisha Thompson
Ricocheting between themes of love, masculinity, forgiveness and cultural displacement, poet Keisha Thompson’s Moonwhile is a vividly imagined Afrofuturistic performance that ripples with looped sound and sweeping waves of Neo-Soul. Exploring the complex world of her relationship with her socially withdrawn father, Moonwhile deconstructs the impact of mental health on family dynamic, particularly within the context of the Black British experience.
Keisha Thompson is a Manchester based writer, performance artist and producer. Keisha is the Young People’s Producer at Contact, chair of radical arts funding body, Future’s Venture Foundation, is a fellow of the MOBO x London Theatre Consortium Fellowship and is a member of Greater Manchester Cultural and Heritage Group. She is currently working with commissioners Eclipse Theatre, York Theatre Royal and Pilot Theatre to stage new play, The Bell Curves. The script was made in development with Box of Tricks. She is also working with Fuel Theatre and Alan Lane (Slung Low) to create new children’s show, Izzy, BOSSS & Fractal. On 28 Aug 2020, she released a new mini album, Ephemera, in collaboration with Tom “Werkha” Leah and featuring riveting cellist, Abel Selaocoe.
Earlier this year, she finished touring award-winning solo show, Man on the Moon. Her debut book, Lunar, features her poetry and the show script. Whilst Moonwhile is a poetic mini album featuring music from the show.
She has supported artists such as Kae Tempest, Hollie McNish, The Last Poets, Saul Williams, Amiri Baraka and has performed in Brave New Voices festivals 2008 & 2009. Her work has been presented at venues high profile venues and platforms such as Tate Modern, Blue Dot Festival and the British Council Showcase in Edinburgh.
This interview was conducted on 7th June 2019 at Kings Place by Jay Hepburn at Moonwhile as part of Poetry & Lyrics Festival 2019.
